The present invention relates generally to fishing rod components and is more particularly concerned with new and improved fishing rod guides, tops and hook keepers.
Guides, hook keepers and tops used on fishing rods are currently manufactured out of various types of stainless steel with a variety of coatings thereon that enhance both the cosmetic appearance of the components and the wearability thereof while beneficially decreasing the friction between the components and the fishing line. In addition to plating and other coatings being used to enhance the wearability and sliding mechanics, inserts made from metallic and ceramic materials are also used. These inserts, while providing better wearability and sliding mechanics, greatly increase the weight of the individual and cumulative guides on the rod. Typically, each rod carries from five to fifteen such guides as well as a tubular top member and hook keeper. These components vary in size and weight to accommodate the intended use of the fishing rod. Fishing enthusiasts generally prefer components of smaller size or gauge and of reduced weight. Unfortunately, lighter gauge material also is more susceptible to distortion, bending and breaking unless the rod is carefully handled. For example, when packing or transporting the rod it is possible to bend the fishing line guides inadvertently or accidentally, requiring that the guides be straightened, typically by cold working which tends to increase the brittleness of the material and therefore reduces the usable life of the guide component. In many cases the distortion of the stainless steel guides and tops is caused by the rod getting caught on branches and trees when walking through the woods and brush.
As mentioned, the fishing rod guides, hook keepers and tops currently manufactured further require a surface coating to enhance their wear characteristics. This coating is subject to chipping and normal wear during use and may require coating application processes such as plating processes that are environmentally unfriendly. As mentioned before, the drawback of the coating/insert process is the added weight. This is extremely important for several reasons. First, increased weight in a rod greatly reduces the feel (sensitivity) of the rod for the angler. The feel of the rod is very important in allowing the angler to react to what the fish is doing. Second, the added weight tends to dampen the action of the rod and reduce the line speed.
In accordance with the present invention, it has been found that new and improved fishing rod components of the type described can be manufactured so as to improve fishing rod performance and obviate many of the deficiencies noted hereinbefore with respect to the currently employed stainless steel and ceramic materials. These improved components are formed using lower density, higher strength shape memory alloy materials that provide comparable results while reducing the weight of the components by as much as 70% or more. The lighter weight, smaller diameter material allows the rod to bend more uniformly throughout its length and provides improved rod xe2x80x9cfeelxe2x80x9cand performance. The material provides very high flexibility and returns to its original shape after repeated full flex deformations. In addition, the lighter gauge material, due to its hardness characteristic, exhibits better wearability and reduced friction while casting or retrieving the fishing line, all without the necessity for coatings or special surface treatments. The lighter weight, reduced gauge material accordingly provides improved performance without the adverse effect of chipping or wear while at the same time completely avoiding the environmentally unfriendly coating conditions required with stainless steel. The material exhibits a xe2x80x9cdrawn wirexe2x80x9d surface smoothness having a coefficient of friction that is significantly reduced relative to a coated or plated surface. The guides will not break or bend out of position under normal use and can withstand repeated deformations under severe use.
These and related advantages and features of the invention are obtained by forming fishing rod components such as guides, hook keepers and tops from shape memory alloy materials. Among such materials, the nickel-titanium alloys (NiTi), sometimes referred to as Nitinol alloys are preferred., Such materials provide not only the improved rod performance sought by fishing enthusiasts but also have the advantageous feature of obviating the embrittlement characteristics evidenced upon repairing bends or other irregularities in stainless steel guides, hook keepers and tops.
The new and improved method of the present invention includes the use of the shape memory alloy material in these fishing rod components to impart these desirable characteristics. The shape memory provides ready return to the components"" original configuration even if it gets caught on trees or brush.
The invention accordingly comprises the several steps and the relation of one or more of such steps with respect to each of the others and the article possessing the feature of construction, properties and relation of elements exemplified in the following detailed disclosure.